Republicans Gamble, Come Up Short on Healthcare

WASHINGTON – Republican lawmakers failed in their attempt to gamble with, and pass, new healthcare legislation today. The defeat was a big choke for Republican leadership, especially Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan was clearly out of his league on this one.

Soon after a vote was aborted, and the attempt to trash Obamacare was declared dead, President Trump spoke to the press about why he decided to pull the plug on the GOP plan, rather than continue to gamble on its passage. The transcript of his remarks are provided here:

President Trump: “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table, there’ll be time enough for countin,’ when the dealin’s done.

Now, every gambler knows that the secret to survivin,’ is knowin’ what to throw away and knowin’ what to keep. ‘Cause every hand’s a winner, and every hand’s a loser, and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.”

“A good friend of mine taught me this, the great Kenny Rogers. Kenny knows you can’t win them all, and his advice on gambling – no matter the situation – has been used by everyone from professional sports coaches to generals in our military to millions of guys on a first date with a hot chick. He’s brilliant. This, I can tell you.” End transcript.